Memorable week for Phil Healy and Ciara Mageean

Phil Healy and Ciara Mageean starred internationally with good early season form while there was a host of championship best performances at the Irish Life Health U20 & U23 Championships in Athlone over the weekend.

Healy impressed in the Vienna International Indoor meeting winning the women’s 400m in 52.31 which was comfortably a European Indoor qualifying time and marks her out as a medal contender for Glasgow in March.

Healy’s scalps included international 400m medallists Lisanne de Witte, of the Netherlands, and Great Britain’s Eilidh Doyle.

Ciara Mageean (UCD) was impressive in the NB Indoor Grand Prix in Boston running a new Irish indoor mile record finishing 6th in 4:28.31. That too was a time that qualified her with ease for the European indoors and will give her a welcome bounce for the rest of the season.

Israel Olatunde (Dundealgan) led a host of championship best performances with a national youth record in the U20 men’s 60m in 6.84 seconds in Athlone yesterday. Joseph Ojewumi (Tallaght A.C.) went a shade quicker in the U23 men’s 60m with a new best of 6.83.

Lauren Roy (City of Lisburn) won the U20 women’s 60m in 7.42 seconds while Sophie Becker (St Joseph’s) caused a surprise beating Ciara Neville (Emerald) in the U23 women’s 60m winning in 7.54. Becker also won the 200m in 24.25.

Cillin Greene (Galway City Harriers A.C.) continued his fine season, running an Irish best over 300m in early January, when leading home the U23 men’s 200m field in 21.47.

Luke McCann (DCH) dominated the U23 men’s 1500m with a front-running 3:48.03 championship best display. There were further championship best runs in the U20 1500m races with Jo Keane (Ennis Track) taking down the women’s race in 4:36.19 and Cian McPhillips (Longford A.C.) home in 3:54.77.

Matthew Callinan Keenan (St. L. O’Toole A.C.) soared to 4.45m for a championship best in the U20 men’s pole vault.

Michaela Walsh (Swinford) won the U23 women’s shot put with 14.33m which was a European U23 Championship B standard. At the Slovakian indoor championships Alex Wright (Leevale) won the 5,000m race walk in 19:10.76.

Mick Clohisey was a hometown winner of the Raheny 5 mile in 23:26 while Annmarie McGlynn (Letterkenny) won the women’s race in 25:59 ahead of Queen’s University’s Emma Mitchell.